How to Create a Bootable USB Drive with Rufus and ISO Files

If you want to install or run a different operating system on your computer, such as Windows, Linux or DOS, you may need to create a bootable USB drive with Rufus and ISO files. Rufus is a small application that helps format and create bootable USB flash drives, such as USB keys/pendrives, memory sticks, etc. ISO files are image files that contain the data of a CD or DVD, such as the installation files of an operating system.
In this article, we will show you how to use Rufus and ISO files to create a bootable USB drive in a few simple steps.
What You Need
- A USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of free space.
- An ISO file of the operating system you want to install or run.
- A computer with Windows 7 or later.
- Rufus, which you can download from https://rufus.ie/.
How to Use Rufus and ISO Files

- Insert your USB flash drive into your computer and run Rufus. You may need to grant administrator privileges to Rufus.
- Select your USB flash drive from the Device drop-down menu.
- Under Boot selection, click SELECT and browse to the ISO file you want to use.
- Under Image option, choose Standard Windows installation if you are using a Windows ISO file, or DD Image if you are using a Linux or DOS ISO file.
- Under Partition scheme, choose MBR if your computer uses BIOS or UEFI-CSM, or GPT if your computer uses UEFI.
- Under File system, choose FAT32 if your ISO file is smaller than 4 GB, or NTFS if your ISO file is larger than 4 GB.
- Under Cluster size, choose the default value.
- Under Volume label, enter a name for your USB flash drive.
- Click START to begin the process. Rufus will warn you that all data on your USB flash drive will be erased. Click OK to confirm.
- Wait for Rufus to finish copying the ISO file to your USB flash drive. This may take several minutes depending on the size of the ISO file and the speed of your USB flash drive.
- When Rufus is done, you will see READY at the bottom. Click CLOSE to exit Rufus.
- You can now use your bootable USB drive to install or run the operating system of your choice. To do so, you may need to change the boot order in your computer’s BIOS or UEFI settings to make it boot from the USB flash drive first.
Conclusion

Rufus is a handy tool that allows you to create bootable USB drives with Rufus and ISO files. It supports various operating systems and formats, and it is easy to use. With Rufus and ISO files, you can try out different operating systems on your computer without affecting your existing one.
Benefits of Using Rufus and ISO Files

There are many benefits of using Rufus and ISO files to create bootable USB drives. Some of them are:
- You can save time and money by not having to buy or burn CDs or DVDs.
- You can reuse your USB flash drive for other purposes after you are done with the bootable USB drive.
- You can carry your bootable USB drive with you and use it on any compatible computer.
- You can test different operating systems without affecting your existing one.
- You can troubleshoot or repair your computer if it fails to boot from the hard drive.
Alternatives to Rufus and ISO Files
While Rufus and ISO files are a popular and convenient way to create bootable USB drives, they are not the only ones. There are other tools and methods that you can use to achieve the same goal. Some of them are:
- Windows USB/DVD Download Tool: This is a free tool from Microsoft that allows you to create bootable USB drives from Windows ISO files. You can download it from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool.
- UNetbootin: This is a free tool that allows you to create bootable USB drives from various Linux distributions. You can download it from https://unetbootin.github.io/.
- Etcher: This is a free and open source tool that allows you to create bootable USB drives from any ISO file. You can download it from https://www.balena.io/etcher/.
- PowerISO: This is a paid tool that allows you to create, edit, extract, burn, encrypt, compress and convert ISO files. You can also use it to create bootable USB drives from ISO files. You can download it from https://www.poweriso.com/.